Treacherous curves: Bus plunges into ravine; 21 hurt

MIRPUR: At least 21 devotees coming back from the shrine of a local Sufi saint were injured when the bus they were travelling in skidded off the road and plunged into a deep ravine while negotiating a sharp turn on Ban Khurma Road in Mirpur city late on Monday night. Inspector Chaudhry Ansar told APP that the passengers belonged to various parts of Punjab, mostly Gujranwala. The people on the bus were on way to Panaag Sharif in Kotli district via Mirpur from Chachiyan after the visting the shrine of Baba Peera Shah Ghazi at Khari Shareef. Inspector Ansar quoting the victims said that the bus driver lost control due to overspeeding while negotiating a sharp turn at a steep incline near Ban Khurama. Resultantly, the vehicle fell of the mountain into deep ravine injuring over 21 of its occupants. Rescue officials, police and local volunteers shifted the injured to hospital where the condition of nine of them are stated to be critical. Police have registered a case against the bus driver.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2016.